HOV lane violator doesn’t even bother with a dummy

We shake our heads at you, carpool lane cheater. Photo by State Patrol

It’s like you didn’t even try. It’s rather insulting.

The most recent carpool lane violator caught by state troopers in King County came Friday on Interstate 405 and Sunset Boulevard in Renton. Except, unlike with most carpool lane cheaters who try to dress up some vaguely human-shaped object, this one just dressed up the passenger seat.

Trooper Kris Lynch called it the “incredible disappearing passenger,” according to the State Patrol.

HOV lane violators get hit with a $124 ticket if caught by troopers.

Revisit carpool lane dummies of the past. Which one is the best?

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This lady has a '90s look about her, no? She and her driver were pulled over Feb. 13, 2014 on I-405 near Woodinville.

This lady has a '90s look about her, no? She and her driver were pulled over Feb. 13, 2014 on I-405 near Woodinville.

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This man and his 'Most Interesting' friend were pulled over in Fife on March 23, 2015.

This man and his 'Most Interesting' friend were pulled over in Fife on March 23, 2015.

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This hoodied, seat-belted skeleton gets the award for most creative dummy. The carpool driver was stopped for speeding and unsafe lane changing on I-5 in 2012, when the trooper noticed the skeleton. It appeared to have a cookie tin between its thighs.
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This hoodied, seat-belted skeleton gets the award for most creative dummy. The carpool driver was stopped for speeding and unsafe lane changing on I-5 in 2012, when the trooper noticed the skeleton. It ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This dummy was riding shotgun on I-5 in Everett on Oct. 24, 2013, when her bad wig gave her away.
Washington State Patrol trooper Mark Francis had thought her hair looked suspiciously terrible. The driver, who had called her "Mr. Safety," got a $124 ticket. less

This dummy was riding shotgun on I-5 in Everett on Oct. 24, 2013, when her bad wig gave her away.
Washington State Patrol trooper Mark Francis had thought her hair looked suspiciously terrible. The driver, ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This dummy was caught on Interstate 405 in Kirkland. Go Seahawks?

This dummy was caught on Interstate 405 in Kirkland. Go Seahawks?

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This dummy gets points for alertness and hipster beard.
The driver had gone to great lengths to paint the face, but hadn't buckled in his friend in the back seat. That caused the dummy to slump over, making it appear that the driver was alone in the carpool lane of State Route 167. He and his bearded companion were pulled over in 2008. less

This dummy gets points for alertness and hipster beard.
The driver had gone to great lengths to paint the face, but hadn't buckled in his friend in the back seat. That caused the dummy to slump over, ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This one was caught March 28, 2014 at 1-405 and Sunset. It's like they're not even trying anymore.

This one was caught March 28, 2014 at 1-405 and Sunset. It's like they're not even trying anymore.

Photo: State Patrol

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Sometimes the abettor isn't a grown-up, but a child. A tiny child named Diego.
A trooper discovered Dora the Explorer's cousin on the I-167 ramp, in which the driver had put his kid's doll in the front seat, because he was late for work.
“As cars moved past in the HOV lane, the trooper observed a vehicle whose passenger had huge, unblinking eyes,” the State Patrol said at the time. At least Diego was wearing a seat belt. less

Sometimes the abettor isn't a grown-up, but a child. A tiny child named Diego.
A trooper discovered Dora the Explorer's cousin on the I-167 ramp, in which the driver had put his kid's doll in the front ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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It wasn't the flat face of this blow-up doll that caught the attention of a State Patrol trooper in 2012.
The driver had cut off the trooper's car near Renton to enter the carpool lane of I-405, the State Patrol said. After the trooper braked hard, he saw the car's "passenger" appear to duck down in the front seat.
That looked suspicious, so he pulled over the driver and discovered that the passenger was full of air.
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It wasn't the flat face of this blow-up doll that caught the attention of a State Patrol trooper in 2012.
The driver had cut off the trooper's car near Renton to enter the carpool lane of I-405, the State ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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When you've got Father Time as your passenger, make sure you buckle him up. A trooper had pulled over this dummy's driver on I-405, after noticing that his "passenger" wasn't wearing a seat belt.
Then the officer realized the passenger didn't need a seat belt because he wasn't human. The driver said he lived on Camano island and couldn't stand the traffic any longer, the State Patrol said. less

When you've got Father Time as your passenger, make sure you buckle him up. A trooper had pulled over this dummy's driver on I-405, after noticing that his "passenger" wasn't wearing a seat belt.
Then the ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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It's hard to sit upright if you're just a torso.

It's hard to sit upright if you're just a torso.

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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If your carpool friend looks like this, you've got a problem. The driver carting around this stuffed coat had swerved suddenly from an HOV lane on I-405 near Woodinville, arousing the suspicions of a trooper in 2011. less

If your carpool friend looks like this, you've got a problem. The driver carting around this stuffed coat had swerved suddenly from an HOV lane on I-405 near Woodinville, arousing the suspicions of a trooper ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol via KOMO

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If only mannequins could sleep. This leaning dummy was stopped on I-5 in Federal Way in 2011, after the driver had done a sudden swerve from an HOV lane.

If only mannequins could sleep. This leaning dummy was stopped on I-5 in Federal Way in 2011, after the driver had done a sudden swerve from an HOV lane.

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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The driver had tried to make his passenger look like she was napping, but the unblinking eyes didn't help.

The driver had tried to make his passenger look like she was napping, but the unblinking eyes didn't help.

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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Not all dummies have bed hair and sloppy hoodies.
Here's how HOV mannequins dress up in Suffolk County, N.Y. She looked chic, but a sheriff's deputy had thought her sunglasses and use of a car visor were odd for an overcast day . (2010). less

Not all dummies have bed hair and sloppy hoodies.
Here's how HOV mannequins dress up in Suffolk County, N.Y. She looked chic, but a sheriff's deputy had thought her sunglasses and use of a car visor were ... more

Photo: Suffolk County Sheriff's Department

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But going dowdy doesn't help either. The driver of stiff, colorless frump was pulled over in 2012 in Katy, Texas.

But going dowdy doesn't help either. The driver of stiff, colorless frump was pulled over in 2012 in Katy, Texas.

Photo: Photo via Houston Chronicle

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Seatbelt? Check. Hoodie? Check. The lean-back? Check.
But something didn’t add up for a trooper who saw this dummy going by in an HOV lane on I-5.
The officer stopped the driver to "inquire about the welfare of the passenger," before realizing that the passenger wasn't human, the State Patrol said.
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Seatbelt? Check. Hoodie? Check. The lean-back? Check.
But something didn’t add up for a trooper who saw this dummy going by in an HOV lane on I-5.
The officer stopped the driver to "inquire about the ... more

Photo: Washington State Patrol

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This carpool "plus-one" was part of a wreck on I-405 in 2002, involving this car, two coach buses and five other cars in the HOV lanes.

This carpool "plus-one" was part of a wreck on I-405 in 2002, involving this car, two coach buses and five other cars in the HOV lanes.